


Responsiblity

by Mesa_Boogie



Series: Meaning of Life [7]
Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-07
Updated: 2012-12-13
Packaged: 2017-11-20 12:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mesa_Boogie/pseuds/Mesa_Boogie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony feels his son Aiden is in need of a friend that is not just your normal robotic arm....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A rat, a dog, a gerbil, a cat; any of those Tony would have loved to have as a kid. To grow up with a companion that wasn’t Jarvis. But he was not allowed any of those, so said his father. Howard was a strict business man and he brought that strict job ethic home with him among his family. Less of a father than anything else. Most of Tony’s time was spent trying to stay out of his father’s way, as not to be yelled at or physically punished for being a nuisance. Now, things are different, with Howard dead and gone; Tony can’t say the same things towards his own son. Can’t punish him for having fun.  
He stands now in the living room area of his Malibu home, watching as Aiden is mauled with licks and kisses from the black wolf hybrid puppy Tony brought home for him. The high shrills out of Aiden are those of laughter as he rolls on his back, the large puppy pinning him down.  
He takes a step towards them, leaning down and picking the puppy up off Aiden so that the little boy can sit up. Then Tony lowers himself down on the floor, still holding tight to the puppy.  
“Do you like him, Aiden?” he asks with a smile.  
“Yes! Very much so!” Aiden replies, already holding out his arms, his little fingers wiggling in want of having the puppy back.  
“You know what this means, don’t you?”  
Aiden’s smile drops away as he stares up into his father’s cocoa brown gaze. Then he slowly shakes his head side to side. “No.”  
“This puppy is going to teach you a lesson. A valuable lesson. Responsibility.” Aiden shakes his head and Tony sighs. “Meaning, it’s all up to you to take of the dog. You have to feed him, put new water in his dish, take him out for walks and exercise, and clean up after him. You understand all that, Aiden?” He waits for a moment, as if seeing the gears in Aiden’s mind turning in thought before the young boy nods his head. “Good boy,” Tony smiles, letting go of the puppy and reaching out a hand to rest on Aiden’s head. He stands back up as the puppy attacks Aiden once more with kisses.  
“I can not believe you gave your young that foul beast.” Tony turns upon hearing Loki speak. “It’s a dog. Cool your jets, reindeer games,” he grins. “Plus, just look at them playing together,” he gestures to child and pup on the floor with a sweep of his right hand. Loki turns his nose up to it, as usual. “Look, it’s good for him. He needs a companion that’s...not just a robotic arm,” Tony sighs. “That’s how I grew up and I don’t want him raised the same way.” He pauses for a moment to study Loki’s facial expression. “Look, please, just try to understand that much.”  
“Oh, I understand,” Loki looks to the floor, his gaze then traveling to Aiden.  
“Good, glad to hear that,” Tony turns away from them, walking to his bar to pour a drink. Loki slowly following and taking seat on one of the tall bar stools. “Have any pets of your own growing up, Loki?”  
“No. Not till I was older,” the god replies as Tony slides a drink towards him. Those long slender fingers catching and gripping the glass. “I had a hellhound when I was older. Even that, Odin did not approve of. It was a hazard.”  
“And what exactly is a ‘hellhound’?”  
“A fire breathing mutt,” Loki grins. Of course there’d be other worldly creatures as pets on Asgard. “Just,” Loki sighs, lifting his gaze up to Tony, making him feel like he is about to hear a long lecture from the god. “Just, as long as that beast makes Aiden happy, I’m happy.” Tony lets out the pent up tension in his shoulders and lungs and Loki glares at him.  
“Got it, reindeergames,” he winks at Loki, looking past him back to Aiden. His son is now being ever so gentle with the puppy as it rests from so much play. It making Tony smile like he never smiled before. A smile so wide that it makes his cheeks hurt. “He’s fine, Loki. No need to worry. That dog is going to be companion and only buddy for years to come.” Loki nods his head, finishing his glass and pushing it back. Getting to his feet once more and turning, walking over to Aiden. Leaning down and resting a hand on his head. The little boy looks up with him with eyes as green as the sea.  
“Be safe, my son. When I return next, I’ll take you and your friend to Asgard,” he smiles down to Aiden, recieving a smile in return. Tony continues to watch the trickster till he vanishes in thin air.  
“Aiden?”  
“Yeh, pappa?” Aiden turns from the puppy.  
“You decide on a name?” he comes around the bar and walks back to the living room. Sitting down on the floor with Aiden and the puppy.  
“Hieb!” Aiden shouts happily and the puppy lifts his head u quickly, wide awake now, almost acknowledging its new name.  
“Hieb it is. What ever that means.” Tony reaches out a hand to brush over the ruffled fur of the puppy.  
-FIN


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's more to the pup than Tony knows.....

Tony was falling behind in work do to his lack of sleep at night. His eyes straining, red and tired. His nights are filled with laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, and listening to his son’s new puppy howling to the moon out on the balcony porch all night long. Listening to its constant pacing around in circles, claws scratching at the door, wanting to be let in. Listening to its low growls and long whines. When Tony gets up to check on him, eye sight poor in the dark, stepping barefoot in warm puddles or other stuff he wishes not to describe how it feels between his toes.  
He lays his head down on his work desk and internally cries to himself. Why did he ever have the idea of getting his son a dog?  
Hieb is now pawing against the glass door and begging to be let inside. Tony pushes himself back, getting up and walking over to the door. Letting the wolf pup into the warm house. Hieb comes bounding in with all the energy of a saint bernard.  
“Great, can’t you just settle down for a minute or two?” Tony groans, it trying just to watch the dog run in circles, chasing its own tail. He hears Aiden calling out for the pup and watching him scramble on his awkward legs out of the room. Tony decides to follow, finding the pup pinning down Aiden again. “Hey you two, play nicely.”  
“We are,” Aiden giggles, pushing back Hieb and sitting up.  
“Aiden, you’re suppose to be taking responsibility with your new friend. And yet I’m the one who cleans him and feeds him.”  
“I’m sorry, pappa,” Aiden looks up at him with such sad green eyes. Tony groans lowly, hating when Aiden plays the ‘puppy dog face’ card on him.  
“Fine, fine. But from now on...”  
“I will care for him, pappa.”  
“Good boy,” Tony smiles, nodding his head. Reaching down to pet the pup, his hand being licked in return. When he stands up and turns away from Aiden and Hieb, he runs into Loki. The god grips him by the shoulders and Tony stares up into those sharp green eyes. “What?? What did I do wrong this time??”  
“Nothing. Just...’pulling your leg,’” Loki grins, letting go of him and the two walk out of the room.  
“You getting more use to our lingo?”  
“Slowly, I’m learning it,” Loki nods his head. “You know that pup you got for Aiden...?”  
“Yeh. He is quite the handful for a pup.”  
“He looks a lot like my son, Fenrir.”  
“What?? Right, you have some freaky family members,” Tony shakes his head and walks a few steps in front of the god, slipping behind the bar.  
“Fenrir is able to shift his wolf form in age. Where did you pick up the pup?”  
“Outside a PetSmart in the city. He was just sitting there with his ears flat down against his head and whimpering. I couldn’t just not bring him home with me, Loki,” he pours himself a glass of peppermint schnapps.  
“Could be Fenrir. But I wonder why did he follow me here,” Loki frowns, reaching out and stealing Tony’s drink before he puts the bottle away.  
“Hey!”  
“How do you say it? ‘You snooze, you loose,’” Loki grins, bringing the glass to his lips with a smile on his face. Taking a sip and sneering. “This is horrible. It bites my mouth.” He hands the glass back to Tony to take.  
“Glad you think so, it was mine to begin with,” he brings the glass up to his lips and takes a drink. Loki is gone out of his sight before he brings the glass down to the counter. Getting up and following the god back into the living room area where Aiden is still playing with the pup.  
“Fenrir!” Loki calls and the pup’s head snaps up, ears perked forward and at attention.  
“That’s not his name,” Aiden speaks up, he too looking at Loki and gently stroking Hieb’s dark long fur.  
“His name is Fenrir, little one,” Loki crouches down beside him on the floor. The pup’s ears flick back and his tail tucks between his legs. “See, he knows his name. He knows he’s in trouble,” Loki reaches out a hand and the pup pushes his wet black nose against it.  
“No. His name is Hieb,” Aiden tugs the pup back to him and frowns at Loki.  
“You are mistaken, son,” Loki whispers and Aiden altogether shuts his mouth, which Tony finds to be a little unfair. Using family against family. Luckily Aiden doesn’t know much, thinking Pepper is more along the lines of being his real mother. “You listen to me, for I am correct and you’re just a little boy,” he lays a finger to Aiden’s nose, channeling that bit of Jotun blood in his body. Tony takes a step back, though he knows he should intervene. “It is not wise to test me, little boy. This is not your dog, he is my blood. Fenrir, here,” Loki points down at his side and the pup obeys, moving quickly. Loki then stands, turning around to face Tony. “If you are to have my sons under your roof, you best not hurt them.”  
“I...I...”  
“Didn’t know? Sure you did, Stark,” Loki slides up close in front of him, grinning. “Just watch yourself. If one even breaks a bone, I will be back to punish you.”  
“And that punishment would be?” Tony tries to play it cool.  
Loki just grins and gives him a wink before slipping past. Tony feels are that pressure leave with the god of lies.  
“Aiden, you better take care of that dog. I don’t want your uncle Loki returning to beat me.”  
“Yes, pappa,” is all that Aiden replies, grabbing and hugging the pup tightly once more.


End file.
